Video revolutionized film culture by highly democratizing access to its recording technology and as such allowed for a new crop of artists to work in a new format. Film theorists and purists were quick to proclaim the “Death of Cinema,” and yet, as queer film festivals proved video and digital recording technology have not brought about cinema’s death but have, in fact, revitalized it through technical innovation and democratization to its access. The latter, WAS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TO the LGBT COMMUNITY AS IT allowed US to take matters of OUR representation into OUR hands. In a world where only certain voices and perspectives are given a platform for expression it is important to counter such tendencies and One such strategy is self-documentation.

The pervasive presence of smart phones in our culture IS another such media revolution — even if one does not have smart phone there’s always someone around who does. With In Your Pocket: What’s Your Sex? we aim to explore the immediacy and intimacy offered by smart phone technology as an intriguing way to investigate the ways in which we record ourselves. The project also raises the question, “can smart phones make cinema?”

As a theme, “What’s Your Sex?” is deliberately ambiguous in connotations surrounding the word “sex.” LGBT relationship with and to sex (in all of its meanings) has a long history of being controlled and mediated through others (including ourselves) and the project aims to give space for an uncensored and highly personal (given the intimacy of the recording device) reflection upon the theme.

–Marcin Wisniewski, Curator

This will be a showcase of our Toronto and Kingston submitted smart phone-made shorts under 4 minutes that answer the question, “What’s Your Sex?”. Guest curated by Marcin Wisniewski in attendance.

Works Screened

Tunnel Vision (Coral Short)

Dufferin Mall (Sarah D’Angelo)

Ageless (Heath Daniels)

News From Nowhere (Jesse Todd & Thom Emberton)

Pigeon Hole (Mark Pariselli)

Serpientes y Escaleras (Julian Calleros)

You Are Not Your Genitals (Kiley May)

Creature, Probably by Andrew Burrows, Nelly Matorina & Molly Kubes

By identifying ourselves as creatures. We’re stepping away from the dichotomies within sexuality and orientation. We’re exploring the fluidity of motion and emotion.

Obsession by Ben Oliver, DJ Stiles & Marc Cormier

Obsession is a glimpse through the eyes of one boy, fixated on a disillusioned world of quick hook-ups and frail connections of social media.